The Town of Fayette wants to take a step in the right direction when it comes to providing residents an essential service.

Back in 2013 when Town Supervisor Cindy Garlick-Lorenzetti ran for her second term, she prioritized the development of municipal water and sewer service. “The development of both water and sewer lines will create a more business-friendly environment to promote and attract economic development,’’ she explained after successfully winning that bid.

Four years later Lorenzetti has started her third-term as Town Supervisor, but one of those priorities is getting closer to action. “The whole Town Board has worked tirelessly over the last four years to get us here,” she explained.

That effort has included extensive input gathering, holding public information sessions, and working with engineers to determine feasibility, cost, and timeline.

“We haven’t seen a slow-down in interest, either” Lorenzetti continued. “We’re looking at the best ways to make Fayette a more business-friendly community. We’ve seen a lot of growth already on that front.”

Now, the Town Board will hold an information session for residents curious about the execution of municipal water expansion. That session is set for Jan. 20, 2018 at 10 a.m. and will be held at the Fayette Firehouse on State Route 414.

“This is a great opportunity for people to get involved with the process and be part of the outcome,” continued the Supervisor, who hopes to see a significant turnout to Saturday’s session. Officials expect a strong turnout from local residents, which was why the board chose that venue.

More than 90 miles of expansion is slated in the engineering outline, which was presented by Jason T. McCormick, a licensed Professional Engineer in New York with more than 20 years experience. It includes expansion to over 600 homes, and adds 957 fire hydrants to the system. McCormick said that the biggest advantage to the expansion, on the engineering side, is the creation of redundancies that will make for a stronger, more effective system.

“It’s going to take time,” added Supervisor Lorenzetti, who said that while the entire town is ‘covered’ in the plan — executing that vision will take years. The project will come at a cost, but a combination of bonding, grants, and low-interest loans will keep the taxpayer burden minimal.

Deputy Supervisor Jeff Trout agreed with the potential good that the expansion could do for residents and businesses. “Moving through this process has been an important one for the community,” added Trout. He said that continuing the dialogue between residents and the Town Board is important in a process like this one.

“Again, this is something that we’ve heard residents and business owners talk about for years. We’re just trying to take a step in the right direction — and this municipal water service expansion makes good on that promise,” concluded Supervisor Lorenzetti.